In need of carbohydrate advice!

Hey! Basically I am having a lot of trouble getting in the necessary amount of carbohydrates everyday to reach my fitness goals... I am looking for carbohydrates with a GI index under 55.
For breakfast I eat oatmeal
For lunch I usually have a sandwich with 2 slices of whole wheat bread
For 2nd lunch I'll maybe have some whole wheat pasta
post workout I usually get in a nice oatmeal bar and or banana
For dinner I usually cook one of those mixed vegetables steam bags they have about 28g of good carbs
Late snack I'll just take some dried fruit/nuts fruit mix with some cottage cheese and peanut butter

Every meal has 25-35g of protein.

I am just interested in what you guys do for your carbobydrates and how you guys manage to get all of that in during day. I am looking for those healthy carbohydrates under 55 gi index. Preferred to be able to cook them easily and fast!! Thanks.

MY firs recommendation woudl simply be to just eat larger portions. use fruit as a snack. Post workout you actually want higher gi carbs to spike your insulin and those digest much easier so u can have alot. Also your body will use them post workout so feel free to indulge there a little bit. If you have an appetite problem you could always order some type of carb powder. Also you could throw some carbs like a sweet potato into your dinner. Also dont forget the GI is kinda messed up because it doesnt takeinto account fat and protein eaten along with the food.....focus on nutrient dense carbs

Realistically the carbohydrate needs of any human being is ultimately zero but its rather silly to expect someone to function properly on long periods of depletion while frequently exercising.

Glycomyx - purple sweet potato carb power like karbolyn and the likes.
Rolled oats, steel cut oats are super low GI, barley, brown or basmati rice and other minimally proccess grains
I would ditch the breads and pastas.
Personally I'm anti-grain/wheat both nutritionally and politically. I stick to seeds and starches: potatos, quinoa, lentils, certain legumes and beans in smaller portions.

No one mentioned this but be aware of the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber, things like hemocellulose and cellulose, are metabolically inert in humans as we lack the enzyme to break them down. The FDA just requires that nutritional data list the carbs in almonds and broccoli but you derive nothing from it calorically.

-OS-Team AppNut

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.
Franz Kafka

In case any "beginners" are floating around, let's be clear that while it may be possible to survive without carb intake, a zero carb environment is not best practice for building muscle or athletic endeavours. We are not on this board to survive, but to build muscle and strength.

Not every article or marketing write up around a diet will be "best practice", regardless of how it is presented. Diets and training protocols are products and each product has competition. Every diet will utilize studies that do support it in order to develop "scientifically backed" marketing material, while ignoring science that may detract from the marketing message.

Regarding the Swedish author above, there is a difference between existing and pushing for gym PRs and bicep peaks.

When carbs are plentiful in the diet they spare protein (muscle breakdown), help hold water in the muscle (the marketing buzzword is cell volumization), provide energy (your body operates on a tiered system when pulling nutrients for energy) and even help break down fat.

As mentioned, mixing carbs with other food sources throws a monkey wrench in the GI rating. Both complex and simple carbs have their place in the weight room however.

It sounds like you may have a decent grasp on the role of complex carbs, OP but don't be scared of simple carbs eaten in an effective manner.

Not only can they be manipulated for a quick burst of energy (everyone knows a sugar high) before the gym, they also create a spike in insulin which can be manipulated for muscle gain. Insulin is a hormone that directs nutrients to your muscles.

It will drive the carbs to your muscles (glycogen, stored energy for better workouts and with a cell volumizing effect), protein, creatine if you use it, et cetera.

You can build muscle on a low carb diet but it isn't necessary to have "one arm tied behind your back". Unless of course you are fat and wanting to lose weight on a low carb diet which is another story altogether.

If you are dead set on finding carb sources under the 55 score on the GI:

go to google, search "Glycemic Index List" or something similar and pick the foods that fall within your range.....

Gluten exclusion (protein complex present in many cereals) has been proposed as an option for the prevention of diseases other than coeliac disease. However, the effects of gluten-free diets on obesity and its mechanisms of action have not been studied. Thus, our objective was to assess whether gluten exclusion can prevent adipose tissue expansion and its consequences. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 4.5% gluten (Control) or no gluten (GF). Body weight and adiposity gains, leukocyte rolling and adhesion, macrophage infiltration and cytokine production in adipose tissue were assessed. Blood lipid profiles, glycaemia, insulin resistance and adipokines were measured. Expression of the PPAR-α and γ, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), carnitine palmitoyl acyltransferase-1 (CPT-1), insulin receptor, GLUT-4 and adipokines were assessed in epidydimal fat. Gluten-free animals showed a reduction in body weight gain and adiposity, without changes in food intake or lipid excretion. These results were associated with up-regulation of PPAR-α, LPL, HSL and CPT-1, which are related to lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. There was an improvement in glucose homeostasis and pro-inflammatory profile-related overexpression of PPAR-γ. Moreover, intravital microscopy showed a lower number of adhered cells in the adipose tissue microvasculature. The overexpression of PPAR-γ is related to the increase of adiponectin and GLUT-4. Our data support the beneficial effects of gluten-free diets in reducing adiposity gain, inflammation and insulin resistance. The data suggests that diet gluten exclusion should be tested as a new dietary approach to prevent the development of obesity and metabolic disorders.

For those not familiar with PPAR-alpha's actions you can read more here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16511589 but in a nutshell activation of PPAR-alpha increases lipid oxidation in skeletal muscle and liver, whereas PPAR-gamma increase glucose uptake by adipose tissue (thus improving insulin resistance). The prior is very applicable for performance, the latter for health in obese/overweight people with insulin resistance.

Some consider it more like a bean or seed, yes. Definitely not a grain, correct! But, no matter what it is, it makes for awesome egg white/Quinoa pancakes!!!

I'm down for that! Got a recipe? I don't advise it as a protein source - yes its a full 7g amino profile but the bioavailability is so bad due to the carbohydrate encasing. Could always soak the seed overnight to fix that... I'm doing it right now.

-OS-Team AppNut

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.
Franz Kafka

I'm down for that! Got a recipe? I don't advise it as a protein source - yes its a full 7g amino profile but the bioavailability is so bad due to the carbohydrate encasing. Could always soak the seed overnight to fix that... I'm doing it right now.

-OS-Team AppNut

-16 oz liquid egg whites (I use a vanilla flavored version from www.muscleegg.com)
-I use about 90-115 grams Quinoa depending on exact car-count I am after
-A little bit of cinnamon
-Couple pf packets of sweetener

Mix thoroughly in a blender and pour batter into non-stick pan. Will make 2-3 pancakes depending on size of pan. Sometimes I do half Quinoa/barley or half Quinoa/oatmeal. To me, straight Quinoa makes the best pancakes.

You can also use some fake spray butter on them or something like Walden farms or Atkins syrup. This is such an enjoyable meal.

What your eating now for carbs is plenty. Just depends on when you eat them. I found eating simple carbs pre and post workout, and lower carbs in the mornings and evenings to work great for bulking and cutting. Excess carbs=excess body fat.